only inches from my skull. Drool dripped onto my skin, sliding down as its tongue lapped out and slathered over my cheek.
Terror and horror wared inside me as I pictured the beast devouring me. Would he sever my head from my body with its jaws or crush it under the weight of those horrible clawed feet?
“Leave her alone,” Vinya screamed. An errant spell flew forward, but landed in the dirt and fizzled. Tyler grunted but didn’t seem to be able to help either.
Biting down the scream in my throat, I continued sawing at the vine. If I could cut it loose...
The beast dropped down until its eye leveled with mine and spoke in a deep rumbling voice.
“Remember me… Tally?”
It knew my name?!
A chuckle rumbled from its chest as it opened its mouth and fitted my head in its jaws. Teeth scraped against my skull. More drool slid down my face. It smelled like rot and decay and meat left in the sun. More teeth situated themselves against the soft skin of my neck, the perfect place to bite down to end my life.
Oh, gods. Oh, no. Oh, please.
The pressure in its jaw built as it prepared to clamp down and sever my head.
This was it. I closed my eyes…
And rammed my sword as hard as I could up into its neck.
The blade slammed into its hide, bit through, and sank to the hilt.
A hit. A direct hit.
The beast lurched back, releasing me, as it howled and bled. With my free arm, I slashed at the remaining material pinning me, cutting desperately as the beast shook its head and tramped around, spraying blood all over the foliage.
I’d cut its neck, but not deep enough to kill. It would be back. I didn’t have time to free myself.
Seeing her partner wounded, the viney female stepped forward, arms shooting up to try to tangle me again, but Vinya released a spell that landed this time. Red fireworks exploded on her face and chest, starting a blaze. She shrieked and ran, her body trailing flames and acrid smoke.
The beast saw this and began a hasty retreat too, though not before glancing over one boney shoulder and giving me a final look as if to say This isn’t finished.
No, it wasn’t. Not by a long shot.
My body shaking with spent adrenaline and the remnants of terror, I clumsily hacked away the rest of the vines and staggered up to free Vinya and Tyler.
When I offered him my hand, he took it and stood, staring at me intently. “What happened back there, Tally?”
I shook my head, unwilling or unable to put it into words. He couldn’t… He wasn’t...
“What did it say to you?” Vinya’s face was white with terror.
“It knew me. I think…” I stared at them, the words catching in my throat. “I think it was... the camper... the dead camper, Wally.”
Chapter Three
When we materialized in the back of the ship, my emotions raged out of control as I struggled to get a handle on what had happened.
I had lost Sinasre when he’d been within my reach. And then Wally…
Finding out that Wally wasn’t dead was almost as upsetting as failing my cousin. What sinister experiments could bring someone back to life? That was impossible. Only evil could accomplish that. And if that disfigured monster had been Wally, then could the vine woman have been Daniella? I shook my head, refusing to believe it.
Vinya gave me a weak smile and patted my shoulder regretfully. She and Tyler left the room while I stayed, peering through the window at the thick cover of clouds. I could barely see anything in the dark but the slightest glimmer of the dome’s protective magic.
The door opened behind me, and I turned to find Ronnie’s head poking in.
They were saved. Thank the gods. At least, Charlie and her team had succeeded.
To my surprise, the young boy ran in my direction. His dark skin was filthy and his clothes dirtier than I remembered.
“Tally!” he exclaimed, and I thought he might throw his arms around me, but he stopped just a few feet away, relief stamped on his face.
Becca, Regina, and Antonio trailed behind him. They all looked disheveled and exhausted but smiled at me with approval. I was glad to see them, too, Sinasre’s absence and a new, disturbing revelation tainted my relief.
How could I tell them what I’d learned?
I glanced toward the door, waiting for Bael’s hulking figure to appear. It didn’t.
“Where’s Bael?” I asked, my heart taking a tumble